RADFORD, VA. - The Presbyterian College women's basketball team fell to the Radford Highlanders on Saturday afternoon by a score of 49-45. The Blue Hose were led by Mariah Pietrowski (Elizabethton, Tenn.) with 12 points and eight rebounds. Radford's Denay Wood also scored 12 points and shared game-high honors.
Radford maintains their top ranking in the Big South as they improve to 8-11 (5-1 Big South). PC falls to 5-12 (2-3 Big South). The Highlanders took the lead with 3:59 remaining on a basket by Da'Naria Erwin Spencer and hung on for the exciting four-point win.
A pair of three-pointers in the final seconds of the game gave PC hope, but Radford converted their free throws and held off the PC push. The Highlanders did not visit the charity strip until the second half, but went 15-25 (.600) for the game compared to PC's 6-12 (.500). Radford's defense recorded 21 total steals and helped cause 30 PC turnovers which spelled doom for the Blue Hose.
Despite losing most of the statistical battles, PC had a 23-20 lead at half. The Blue Hose came out in the second half red-hot and extended their lead to 13 points with 13:04 remaining in the game (35-22), thanks to a balanced offensive attack, but the Highlanders answered PC's 13-2 run with a 25-2 run leading into final minute of play. Three-point baskets by Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio) and Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.) in the final 20 seconds gave the Blue Hose hope, but it was too little, too late.
However, there were bright spots on the stat sheet for the Blue Hose as they overcame a dreadful start on the boards to own a 19-14 lead on rebounds at the half. For the game, the Blue Hose outrebounded the Highlanders 39-27. Even though PC recorded only three first-half personal fouls, the second half was unkind and Radford avoided putting PC in the bonus.
Neither team shot the ball well at the beginning of the game. Radford used six offensive rebounds and four PC turnovers to own a 4-2 lead during the first media timeout. Pietrowski was responsible for the lone basket for the Blue Hose.
Coach Ronny Fisher then went to his bench and started getting quality minutes. Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) recorded a block and Sherece Smith (Clemson, S.C.) scored PC's next basket to spark a quick 6-0 run to tie the game at 8-8 and force a time-out by the Highlanders.
The game then started a back-and-forth as the Blue Hose started recording rebounds and limiting the Highlanders' opportunities. Burnside scored an old-fashioned three-point play to set the score at 14-13 with 8:32 remaining in the half. However, Radford would extend their lead back to as much as five points with just over four minutes in the first half. Stevens and Amanda Mills (Oregon City, Ore.) hit back-to-back threes to give PC a 23-20 lead going into the half.
The Blue Hose will next play host to High Point on Saturday, January 29, at 5 p.m. as the opening game of a home double-header. The men will follow against Winthrop at 7:30 p.m.
